Skills
61 skills are associated with this occupation.
0 skills selected
Essential knowledge
5 skills
Essential skills / competences
48 skills
Optional knowledge
0 skills
No skills in this section.
Optional skills / competences
8 skills
Overview
Optician work is about improving and correcting vision by fitting spectacle lenses, frames, contact lenses and other optical devices to an individual customer or healthcare user.
In job descriptions, look for lens dispensing, frame adjustment, optical prescriptions, lensometer use, ophthalmic instruments, eyewear maintenance advice, client records and quality checks on optical products.
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Open in Job ExplorerWhat the work can involve
Opticians often work in optical retail, clinic-adjacent settings or optical laboratories where customers need lenses, frames or contact lenses fitted accurately. The work mixes measurement, product adjustment, customer advice, prescription handling and records of optical products supplied.
Skills and specializations
Important skills include dispensing corrective lenses, adjusting eyeglasses, cutting or repairing lenses, using a lensometer and operating ophthalmic instruments. Some roles emphasize contact lenses and low vision aids; others include stock, supplier contact and optical product sales.
Salary context
Salary positioning for optician roles is usually shaped by customer volume, optical laboratory responsibility, product range, sales targets and the level of coordination around optical prescriptions. Work that includes lens verification, contact lens fitting or supervision may sit differently from front-counter sales support.
Career paths
Experience can lead toward senior dispensing optician, optical laboratory coordination, store management, contact lens specialization, supplier roles or closer cooperation with ophthalmology and optometry teams. Strong records, measurement accuracy and customer advice skills support these moves.
Good to know
When comparing adverts, check whether the role is mainly dispensing, frame adjustment, contact lenses, optical laboratory work or retail management. Useful adverts name the optical instruments, prescription workflow, product range and responsibility for client records.
Editorial note
This guide is editorial career context. It is not official labour-market statistics or role-specific salary data.
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Alternative labels
Occupation group
Dispensing opticians (3254)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/6e0e068b-cd5c-4400-8899-54056087fa14 |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 3254.1 |
| ISCO group | 3254 |
| Concept type | Occupation |